God's Attendant
by tokumeino
Summary: Three years have passed, and Heather- now known as Cheryl -has led a normal life. However, she runs into an old friend who brings back a flood of memories of a place Cheryl wishes she could forget. *AN: This is not related to my other SH Fic! Rated T for some violence and mature language! Thanks for reading!* Inspired by "Longing" by silver-fox89 :)
1. Chapter 1

"I know I didn't make the best first impression, but come on!" Cheryl ignored the drunken man stumbling a few yards behind her. "Cheryl! Baby!" Her blind date was not the "charming, cultured" guy her friend Miranda had described when she set them up. And the "upper-class yet hip" venue they were set to dine at was nothing more than an over-crowding club with festering with alcohol and hormones. This became evident when after her date's sixth- no, seventh? Eighth? - drink, he was seen making out with another girl. As if he hadn't been obnoxious enough during their meal, talking about sports cars and "bitches" as he gulped down drink after drink. Overall, Cheryl had not had a good night. She was trying to lose him as she made her way to the subway.

_God, he's almost as annoying as those monsters back in that town_. This thought surprised Cheryl. She hadn't thought about that place in months… And she liked it that way. A lot had changed after her traumatic ordeal in that foggy, desolate place. It had been three years, though it sometimes felt longer. She had moved with Douglas, and began going by her real name- Cheryl. She also let her dark hair grow out. After her last year of high school, she got into a good little university in the center of town and even moved in with a friend she met there- the same friend responsible for this disastrous date. _Miranda, I am so going to get you for this_, Cheryl thought as she stomped along the sidewalk.

Her "date" was still sputtering as he continued to follow after her. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm. "Come on-" Before he could get the rest of his sentence out, Cheryl had smacked him across the face. He stumbled backwards a bit as he let go of her arm, shocked. She turned around, "Don't ever touch me." She started to walk off once more when he took her arm again, but in a more violent manner. "I'll do what I want," he yelled at her as he grabbed her other arm as well. Cheryl began thrashing around, to loosen his grip. _Fuck, he's actually kind of strong_. He raised his fist, and Cheryl turned her head and winced- SNAP! She felt a tiny bit of warm liquid splash across her face. She turned her head back and slowly opened her eyes as she felt his grip on her arms loosen and completely fall away.

At first, all she saw was how distorted the guy's neck was, and the areas where his skin has actually ripped open. As his limp body fell to the ground, she saw who had actually caused it. Standing in front of her was that creature. That creature from that place she wanted to forget, but never could… Silent Hill.


	2. Chapter 2

Her memories came rushing back as she stared at its face- if you could even call it that. Images flashed before her eyes. She felt a pain in her stomach, just as she had after ingesting that small red stone. She could see the barely formed god lying on the floor of the church, writhing in blood. She saw as Claudia, that psychotic bitch, consumed it and was consumed, herself, by the building. Cheryl could see the dark hole as she leapt into it. She could see the creature- the same damn creature standing in front of her –as it looked after that "god" monstrosity.

She screamed. _This can't be happening_, she thought as she turned and began sprinting. _This can't be! They won't take me back! Not now! Not ever!_ She ran as fast as she could until she reached the entrance to the subway. There were people around, waiting for the train just as they probably did everyday. _If there are people here, it won't come after me, right?_ Cheryl did find relief in the company, but couldn't seem to breathe. She continued taking in short, choppy breaths as her train rolled to a stop on the tracks in front of her. She boarded just like everyone else.

As the train began to move along, she composed herself. _Maybe I'm just hallucinating_, she quietly pondered. _Perhaps it's the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder coming back._ Cheryl had struggled with nightmares and flashbacks for months after her trip to Silent Hill. She tried to think of the best ways to calm down. She remembered studying PTSD early on in her courses when she began college. After all, she was a Psychology major. Her thinking was interrupted when she noticed that a small, plump man with a rustled mustache was looking oddly at her. "Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked. He was looking at the left side of her face, around the corner of her mouth. Cheryl reached up to touch her face, and found blood on her fingertips when she pulled her hand back. "Oh!" she said, surprised. "Uh, yes, I'm just fine. Thank you." She quickly wiped the blood off of her face and moved to the other end of the train car.

Soon, the train had reached her stop. She made her way onto the platform, a bit reluctant. _Okay, reach the street, run like hell._ She wanted to make sure she didn't run into that… thing, again. She casually walked up the steps and faltered a bit under the lamppost that illuminated the stairs leading to and from the subway. _Okay, here… we… go!_ With that, Cheryl was off running towards her apartment complex. Once she reached the main gate leading to her block, she stopped to catch her breath. _Play it cool_, she thought to herself. After getting her breathing a bit stable, she got out her house key and walked up the steps to room 208.

Cheryl unlocked the door and stepped inside to find Miranda and her boyfriend watching a movie. Or rather, making out on the couch with a movie playing in the background. _Be casual._ "Alright, alright, break it up, kids!" she joked, trying not to let her uneasiness show. The couple awkwardly pulled away from each other, and Miranda cleared her throat. "I see why you wanted me gone so bad!" Cheryl continued. Miranda let out a nervous laugh, "So how did it go?" Cheryl, who had moved to the fridge to grab something to drink, froze up for a second. "Uh, it went alright. He got super drunk and made out with some girl. I kind of ditched him after that." _Good, that was pretty convincing_. "Aw, I'm sorry," Miranda consoled. She turned to her boyfriend, "Maybe you should g-" Cheryl interrupted, "Oh, no! It's fine! I think I'm going straight to bed anyways. All that loud music and cigarette smoke, you know?" Miranda looked a bit worried, "Aw, alright. Sorry your date night wasn't so great! Goodnight!" Cheryl grabbed a bottle of water and turned to walk towards her room, "Don't worry about it! Goodnight." She waved to both of them and went into her room.

She plopped down on her bed and gazed at the ceiling as she raised her hands above her body, to stretch. She then noticed something. There were bloodstains on her sleeve, where she had wiped the spatters off her face. _So this is happening_, she thought to herself. Her uneasiness increased ten-fold when a certain thought crossed her mind: _he's dead, and I'm the last person he was seen with_. She bolted up and tore off her jacket. "Fuck," she quietly said to herself. _Can't put it in the hamper, what if Miranda does laundry? Can't throw it away, it could easily be found. I'll burn it at some point, but for right now…_ Cheryl thought of places she could hide the jacket until tomorrow. She ended up stuffing it under her bed. "Ugh!" She flopped onto her bed once more, and lay on her stomach, trying to take it all in. Pretty soon, she drifted to sleep.

Fading in and out of consciousness, Cheryl groaned and turned on her back. Something caught her eye and she looked up. Crawling around on her ceiling was… that creature… She let out a scream.


	3. Chapter 3

Cheryl continued to scream as the creature crawled around her ceiling. "Cheryl! Cheryl! Are you alright?!" cried Miranda as she and her boyfriend burst into the bedroom. Cheryl quickly sat up and turned to tell them to leave before the creature could get to them, "GO—" Her eyes shifted back to the ceiling and she halted before she said anymore. The thing was gone. "What's going on? Are you okay?" Miranda looked at her like she was crazy. "Yeah, uh-" Cheryl laughed awkwardly, "I just, uh, I just thought I saw something is all."

"Just 'saw something'? You were freaking the fuck out." Miranda's boyfriend, Tim, said.

"Yeah," continued Miranda, "are you sure you just 'saw something'? I _know_ you don't scare easily. You're the one that drags me to all those scary movies…"

"I'm sorry, guys. It was nothing, really. I think I've just been extra tired and jumpy. You know how finals can really take it out of you." Cheryl tried to seem as genuine as possible. _Was it really nothing? _Her thoughts were racing, but she couldn't let them know how freaked out she actually was.

She had once had a flashback while hanging out with a friend, shortly after escaping Silent Hill. Despite Cheryl's other suggestions, the friend insisted that they visit the mall, a place that Cheryl had come to dread- with good reason. Without paying attention, Cheryl and her friend ended up at a certain clothes shop. From what Cheryl, who had blacked out, heard, she wouldn't stop screaming about monsters. When she woke up, some strangers were crowded around, asking if she was okay. She couldn't forget the look on her friend's face. She looked at her like she was… insane, or something. Cheryl could never forget that look on her friend's face. Shortly after that, she and Douglas moved to a different town. That town harbored too many bad memories, anyways.

"Well, relax. It's the holidays soon, so you'll get to see your uncle soon!" Miranda smiled. She didn't know that Douglas wasn't really Cheryl's uncle, of course. She always loved when he visited. _That's right_, Cheryl thought. _I do see Douglas soon… Maybe he can help me._ The thought of his advice made Cheryl feel much better. "Thanks, guys," Cheryl awkwardly muttered. "I know I'm being a real nuisance tonight…"

"Don't worry about it! Goodnight!" Miranda cheerily said as she and Tim walked out and shut the door.

_ God, I need to get it together_, Cheryl worried as she drifted off to sleep. _It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real…_


	4. Chapter 4

"It was real," Cheryl whispered to herself as fear swept over her. She held her jacket in front of her. The jacket she had worn last night. The jacket with blood on it. _Oh god, oh god, oh god!_ She was beginning to panic. "I need to calm down and get rid of this immediately," she muttered to herself. _Where could I burn this?_ She thought of the many places where fire was available, and inconspicuous.

_I can't do it here. There's no reason to be burning anything here. It would look too suspicious._

_There's a fire pit at the coffee shop, but people would obviously see me burning something. How am I stupid enough to have even thought about that one?_

_Okay. The frat parties usually have a big bonfire? But I never go to those things… _

_I need to go somewhere that isn't suspicious, but _is_ isolated._

She thought about the many places in town that she frequented. _Ah! The lake!_ She had often visited this lake in times of stress. It was perfect. Surrounded by woods, and quite quiet, the lake was Cheryl's go-to spot for when she wanted to escape with some of her favorite books.

Cheryl opened one of her drawers and got out a lighter. _Haven't used this thing in a while_, she thought as she turned it over in her hand. She got out a small backpack that she usually used in place of a handbag and stuffed the jacket in, slipping the lighter in an inner pocket. She zipped the bag shut and slung it over her shoulders. She began to step out her door when she thought of something. "Oh," she said quietly, as she grabbed her copy of _Alice in Wonderland _off of her bedside table. It had been her favorite book since she was a child. She even remembered how much her former self, Alessa, had loved the book. _Ugh_, she shuddered. Despite knowing of her past for a few years now, she still found thinking about it very odd.

She looked at the book as she stepped out and shut her bedroom door. _This will make it extra convincing_, she thought to herself. Miranda interrupted her thinking, "Where you headed to?" She sat at the kitchen counter, drinking a cup of coffee. Cheryl slightly held up the book, "Just headed to the lake. You know how it helps me relax."

"Oh, that's right!" Miranda sipped her coffee.

"I'll be back later this afternoon. I'll call if I need anything." Cheryl nodded as she walked over to the front door.

"Be careful, babe!" Miranda shouted after her.

"I always am!" Cheryl shut and locked the door. She continued onto the street and down into the subway station. After a bit of a train ride, and an even longer bus ride, Cheryl walked from the stop to the entrance. There was a security and information cabin, and a large, faded blue sign that read _Blue Creek_. Cheryl waved to the person in the info window as she started down the path to the lake. _Blue Creek, huh_, Cheryl wondered to herself. _That's always sounded so familiar to me._ She continued marching down the trail. _Whatever. Why is it called 'Blue Creek' anyway? It's a lake, not a creek._

She found a secluded area near the shore, but far from the entrance with the cabin. _Thank goodness it's so empty. Guess the gross, cold weather has driven everyone away_. Cheryl looked around as she pulled out the jacket and the lighter. She went on to find some large rocks and arranged them into a circle, placing the jacket in the center. She then placed some timber on top and lit it. As the jacket burned, she read a bit of _Alice in Wonderland_. Reading it really made her feel like a child again—which was quite a mixed feeling. There was Alessa's painful and traumatic childhood, the Cheryl before her's wonderful childhood, and then her own great yet hectic childhood. Although, they _were_ all the same person. They were all her. _I need to stop thinking about them- I mean- me? Ugh._

Cheryl looked up from her book to find the jacket sufficiently incinerated into ashes. She placed the book in her backpack and, using her hands (which may have not been the best idea, considering the frigid temperature), brought water from the shore to put out the fire. She then threw the rocks into the water and scattered the ashes. She couldn't have _any_ evidence. "Well, now that that's done- and my hands are ice cubes- I might as well go," she muttered. As she turned around, she saw, once again, that unwelcome old friend.


	5. Chapter 5

All she could muster this time was a sharp intake of breath. She felt the fear squeezing her heart, to the point of pain. However, she had had enough of being scared. She scoffed, "What—What do you want with me? Haven't you guys played with me enough? Why? Why have you come back for me?" Her eyes, wide with fear, searched the creature's disfigured face for any sign of response. She was shaking incessantly. Both out of fear and from the bitter cold. The creature moved closer to her. Cheryl put her hands out in front of her, "Get away from—" The creature grabbed both of her hands. Didn't pull her in, didn't hurt her, just wrapped its hands around hers. Cheryl was confused now. "What are you…" She trailed off as she noticed fog forming around her.

"Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no!" Fog was not something she enjoyed very much. It began to roll around knees, and just kept getting higher and higher. She pulled her hands from the monster and began to turn around frantically. "It's changing! It's turning! Oh, Go—"

"Ma'am?" Cheryl let out a little scream and covered her mouth with her hands. "Are you okay, ma'am?" It was a park ranger. Cheryl sighed, "Yes, sorry. I was, uh, I was practicing for a play I'm going to be in. Heh?" She sheepishly smiled. _What a stupid excuse, I just keep getting worse at this_.

The ranger chuckled, "Well, you're doing a pretty damn good job, I think! You looked pretty scared. Anyways… I gotta take ya back to the entrance. The fog is getting pretty bad. Come on, miss."

The ranger led Cheryl back to the cabin at the front. She noticed her hands weren't freezing anymore. _At least there's that_. "Thank you," she said as they reached the entrance. "No problem, miss. Be careful out there, ya hear?" The ranger called after her. She made her way to the bus stop, and headed home.

As she sat on the bus, she couldn't stop thinking about the creature. _What was its name? I know that at last one of me knows it…_ She tried to reach back into her former selves memories. _Valtiel_. "Huh," she looked up. _Valtiel, God's Attendant. The Protector of God_. "So that's who it is…" She muttered to herself. Soon, she got off the bus and caught the train home. _I must look into this. I must figure out how to make it go away_.

She strode up to her door and unlocked it, still deep in thought. "Oh, Cheryl! You're back!" Miranda greeted her. "Yeah, what do you want for dinner?" Cheryl asked.

"Oh, actually… Tim and I were thinking about going out… Is that okay?" Miranda looked a bit guilty.

"Oh, gosh! Don't worry about it! You guys have fun!" Cheryl was quite relieved. This meant that Miranda probably wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning, giving Cheryl plenty of time and space to research without coming off weird. "Thanks! You're the best!" Miranda dashed to her room. Cheryl chuckled as she made her way to her own room, "I know I am!"

She set her backpack down, kicked off her boots, and removed her coat. "Time to do a little research," she quietly said to herself as she pulled her laptop over to her bed. She began to search for any information on Valtiel and his role in The Order. She was having the absolute worst luck. "UGH!" She complained, "I guess not many people come out of Silent Hill alive!" She flopped down onto her pillows. "If only Vincent was here…" She felt a tinge of sadness in her chest. _He hadn't been the nicest or most trustworthy guy, but he didn't deserve to die like that. And he wasn't as crazy as Claudia…_ She sighed. _He probably would've known a lot about this Valtiel thing_. A memory suddenly rushed into her mind. She gasped, and bolted upright. "After getting the seal from that Leonard freak…" Cheryl grasped at the fragments of memory, trying to stitch them into one whole scene. "We were in a library somewhere…" She squinted her eyes, trying to drag the memory up. "He gave me a book! A book that had information about the seal! Maybe it has info about Valtiel! Yes!" She began to laugh with joy. "But wait—" Her happiness was cut short. _Where did I put it?_

After her return from Silent Hill, Cheryl had placed the items she brought back in a box. For whatever reason, she just couldn't seem to part with them. _I bet Douglas knows…_ She thought, _I'll ask him when I see him in a few days!_ Now Cheryl was extra excited about seeing Douglas for the holidays.

She heard a knock on the door. "Yes?" She called out. "I'm gonna get going. Tim is here!" Miranda replied. "Alright," answered Cheryl, "be safe! Have fun!" They said their goodbyes, and Cheryl was all alone. "Protector of God, huh…" She gazed down at her bed sheets. "I'm not God—wait. Am I? No, no, no. God is that thing I chucked up." She shuddered. She didn't want to remember the intense pain she felt. She could almost see the festering red pattern that covered her as her body rejected the fetus.

"But they did refer to me as 'Mother of God'…" Cheryl continued to think aloud. "So is Valtiel here to protect me?" Cheryl got an idea. _God, what is wrong with me…_ "Face your fear, face your fear. What's the worst that can happen? I've already survived Silent Hill once." She took a deep breath. "Uh," she awkwardly began, "I call upon Valtiel?"


End file.
